Honestly, let's just get straight to it. Last month, I was working with this bakery in Minneapolis. Great people, amazing sourdough, but their online marketing was... well, it was a ghost town. They were posting nice photos on Instagram, boosting a few posts, and getting crickets. They asked me what "revolutionary" strategy I had. I told them we weren't going to be revolutionary. We were going to be practical. We set up a simple play at home software sweepstakes-a "Lucky Spin" wheel where people could win a free coffee or 15% off.
It took me less than 15 minutes to set up. In one week? Over 500 new emails for their newsletter. That's 500 local customers they can now talk to directly. That's what I'm talking about.
Look, I've been doing this since 2010. I've seen it all. The advice small businesses get is, frankly, often garbage. It’s either "spend $5,000 a month on Google Ads" or some vague nonsense like "create authentic, engaging content and go viral!" as if there's a switch you can just flip. It makes me crazy.
Most small business owners do not have the time or the budget for that. You need things that work now, without requiring a marketing degree or a second mortgage. The problem with most digital marketing-especially boring "enter your email to win a $50 gift card" contests-is that it's passive. People are tired of it. A play at home software sweepstakes is different because it’s active. It gives a little dopamine hit. It's fun. It's a tiny bit of a game in the middle of their boring scroll through social media. It's a pattern interrupt, you know?
I get skeptical looks when I bring up "gamification." I get it, it sounds like a buzzword some tech bro invented. But it's just a fancy word for making marketing feel less like... marketing. I've been using this platform, Faisco, with a bunch of my clients because it's dead simple and it just plain works.
Here's what I typically recommend, based on what I've seen convert:
And I used their "Pet Match & Win" for a Phoenix fitness studio, a bit of an odd combo but it worked, and got them 1445 new email addresses in just over 2 weeks. It's just... it's about matching the game to the goal.
Everyone always asks me about Gleam. And look, Gleam. io is a solid tool. It’s powerful. But honestly, for 90% of small businesses, it's like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame. It’s a minimum of $39/month (their Pro plan is $97/mo!), and the setup can be a real headache if you're not a professional marketer. Most of my clients finds it overwhelming.
Faisco gives you all the core stuff you actually need at a way more reasonable price. I can get a campaign-a fully functional play at home software sweepstakes-live for a client in literally under 10 minutes. With Gleam, I'm usually fiddling with settings for the better part of an hour. For a busy business owner, that time difference is everything.
Plus, the integration is just better for social. It's not just a link you share. The games actually work inside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok... they feel native to the platform, which reduces the friction for people to play. This is a small detail that has a HUGE impact on conversion rates.
Okay, real talk. This isn't a magic wand. You can't just turn on a game and expect to be flooded with sales overnight. But what you can expect is a massive jump in the metrics that lead to sales.
The businesses I work with who commit to this for a month typically see a 200-400% increase in social media followers and a 150-300% growth in their email lists. Why? Because you're giving people something of value (a moment of fun, a chance to win) in exchange for their attention and contact info. It’s a fair trade. Their campaigns were no longer just static images, they were interactive experiences.
Here's my advice. Don't overthink it. This week, pick your slowest day-maybe a Tuesday afternoon. Go sign up for a tool like Faisco. Launch one of their "Scratch Ticket" games and offer a simple prize, like 10% off or a free appetizer. Post it on your Facebook page and just see what happens.
Stop waiting for some revolutionary idea. Just do something practical that works.
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